"There! don’t you hear it?" said Magdalen? as a sawing sound, sharp and swishing, rose over the silence of the waves. "’Tis the sea grinding against a sharp rock," said Sir George, "and ’tis not far off. Can’st tell where it is, Ralph, thine ears are keener than mine?" Again they all listened. The boat had lost all way, and was lying still in the glassy sea. All round was impenetrable gloom. It was not absolutely dark. They could distinguish each other in the boat, but they could see nothing, even an oar’s-length away. All was grey, impalpable, vague opacity. The sound of the sea among the points of the rocks grew fainter. "The tide is setting us in shore," said Sir George; "we must row again." Just as they were about to take to their oars a shout came over the water. It was a shout of terror, a blood-curdling shriek of agony. Magdalen shivered. "’Tis some of those men-at-arms; they have lost their way in the mist, and the rising tide has overtaken them," said Ralph, and he began to row, in order to deaden the noise, and distract the girl’s attention. But the cries became more piercing, they seemed to be nearer. "We can’t have turned round?" said Sir George. "Are we rowing ashore?" They again paused. All was silent as the grave. The breeze seemed to have got up a little. Their sail began to fill, and the water rippled under the stern. "This is getting parlous hazardous. I would we knew which way we are going. Put thine oar over the side and see if thou cans’t feel the bottom," said Sir George Lisle. But before Ralph could do what he was told, and while he was standing up to fathom with the oar, there was a crash--a grinding, splintering sound, and Ralph was thrown over the after-thwart into Magdalen’s lap, who gave a little scream and then sat still. They well knew what had happened. It did not need the water, which was fast rising in the boat, to tell them they had struck upon a rock, and were rapidly filling with water. All three were used to danger, and they did not lose their presence of mind. Ralph, as soon as he had picked himself up, went forward and looked over the side. He could just see a brown patch through the clear water. He sounded with his oar. It was not more than six inches below the surface. He called to Sir George Lisle to sound over the stern and to their dismay they found that the oar could only just touch the bottom when held at arm’s length under the sea. The boat was fast filling, and would soon slip off and sink in deep water. Without a moment’s hesitation Ralph jumped over on to the rock. He took out the anchor, and wading as far as he could, he threw it out on the other side of the rock, and was glad to see it sank some depth. Then going back, he pulled as hard as he could on the warp, and thus prevented the chances of the boat slipping off. "If the tide doesn’t rise any more, we are safe from drowning, anyway," said Ralph.